Dr. Mutulu Shakur’s April 2007 Legal Update

After being called for a meeting with officials of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), on Thursday, March 15th, 2007, Dr. Mutulu Shakur was snatched and transferred from Federal Corrections Complex in Coleman (FCC Coleman), Florida to USP Pollock in Louisiana. As he had done at other prisons, Dr. Shakur was effective in organizing educational and cultural programs in FCC Coleman, making a life changing impact on the transformation of dozens of men, particularly youth from a criminal mentality to liberation consciousness. As he had in other prisons, Dr. Shakur also worked to bring unity between a variety of religious, cultural and political communities in FCC Coleman, and the Black/ New Afrikan, Latino and Native American populations in the prison.

FCC Coleman is the largest prison complex in the United States with 8000 prisoners in five facilities; two maximum, a medium, and low security male facilities and a women’s camp. Carlisle Holder, The warden of the maximum prison where Dr. Shakur was incarcerated, worked with him and other socially conscious inmates to develop educational and cultural programs. This approach has been effective in terms of rehabilitation and maintaining peace. USP II, managed by Warden Holder, has experienced little violence while USP I, the other maximum security prison in the Coleman Complex remain under lock down with constant violence, deaths and stabbings. In recent weeks Bureau of Prisons officials have interrogated, harassed and pressured Warden Holder and his staff and without warning abducted and transferred Shakur. This harassment of the warden is akin to the firings of US prosecutors most recently discussed in the media who donâ€™t tow the extreme right wing line. The same politics are at play in the Bureau of Prisons. Obviously constant violence and hostility is preferred to rehabilitation and peace. The reaction of the BOP to programs at FCC Coleman raise a serious question about the nature of incarceration in the United States: whether to “warehouse” prisoners or move to transform the incarcerated so they can return to their families and communities productive, positive, and socially conscious.

Two additional issues are of import in this situation. One, after 20 years in maximum security Mutulu was recently successful in having his custody level reduced to medium security. Second, we believe the BOP wanted to sabotage an impending parole hearing (which had been repeatedly postponed) at which Mutulu expected significant support from family and friends, as well as from prison officials at Coleman 2.

The transfer of Dr. Shakur is continued political harassment of a political prisoner, who is continuing to serve his people and Movement while incarcerated. We are asking all socially conscious individuals and human rights organizations to write the United States Bureau of Prisons and call for the following:

1) an end to persecution of Dr. Shakur by means of politically motivated transfers
2) an end to the harassment of Warden Holder and his staff
3) continuation of the educational and cultural programs at FCC Coleman